Bank-check and the like.



H. C. THATCHER.

BANK CHECK AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION man MAY a. w15.

Patented May 30, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

2 3HEETS-SHEET 2.

Qmknm @W khmw m MS@ Patented May 30 H. C. TH'ATCHEH. BANK CHECKAND THELIKE.

APPLlCATlON FILED IWAY 3. i915.

HENRY C. THATCHER,

0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN'.

BANK-snuck AND THE LiKE.

meanest.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May ao, raie.

Application led May 3, 1915. Serial No. 25,644.

the instrument, tion is to provide an instrument of this class which issimple in ily understood by th out or prepared, and pared cannotpossibly tection.

My improvements are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which* Figurel is a face view of a bank cheek embodying my invention in its preferredform. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a check drawn or made out for adefinite sum and suitably protected to avoid alteration. Figs. 3 and 4are similar views of checks made out for other specific amounts. Thecheck or other instrument may bear the usual'inscriptions. The body ormiddle portion of the check shown in the drawings, in addition tocontaining inscriptions in the usual form, has printed thereon the wordsif left zone is detached and unless highest dollar values of first threefigures are indicated in safety Zones at ends.

At each end of the check there is what I call a safety zone, and asshown the zoneA at the left-hand end of the check is divided umn oftwenty spaces, in the first ten of which reading downward are printedthe numerals 0 to 9 in reverse order.

J ust inof figures are printed tae words Second ligure here. In theremaaning ten spaces are printed the nu- Ain regular order readingdownward, and just inside this row of figuresware printed the'wordsThird It is of course understood that the precise arrangement of spacesand figures shown in the drawings is not absolutely necessary and tiatthe designations may be somewhat varie t is column will read 600. Thprotects hundreds and multiples of hun- In order to protect the tens andunits, t'. e., the 47, the figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are cut away fromthe upper part of the The 82 cents need not be protected but may berisked.'

In Fig. 3 I have indicated how the check should be prepared when theamount is" for $5.00. In this case the safety zone B is entirelyremoved, leaving as shown the words Second figure here- Third figurehere. In the safety zone A the li l thus leaving the figure 5 at the topof the column of figures in the safety zone A and (units) in It is thusthat the check was drawn greater than clearly shown for no sum units,and the figure 5 in the safety zone Ashows that the units are 5 andnothing beyond 5, and the fact that theszone B has been entirely removedfur ther indicates that the check was not drawn for any sum beyondunits.

In Fig. t another concrete example i's shown. In this case the check isdrawn for $375,000.00. It is at once seen that the figure is completelyl Y 000.00 and over. the

f from 1 to amount is over $100,000.00 and this is indicated in safetyzone A bythe fact that the first designation reading upward is C M.; inotherV words, $100,000.00 or over.

rone A thefigures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 have been removed, leaving theligure 3 as the highest remamlng figure :n the Zone. This Vwill indicatein connection with the designation C M. that the check-isgood forY$300,-

safety zone B the second figure of the amountl is indicated by cuttingaway thejnumeralsS vand 9 at the top of the' column, leaving the figure7 as the 15 first figurein the series, thus fixing the .fact that thesecond figure of the amount 1s 7 z'. e.,7 0,000 or over. 'The thirdfigure of the amount is'Y indica-ted at the bottom of the column in thesafety zone B by cutting away the numerals 6, 7, 8 and 9, leaving thefigure 5 to indicate thethird figure of the amount i. c; 5,000. InrthisVway the fact is estab- $375,-

$BY6,000.00. ,InV such cases, that is, where the amount isilarge protectany more than the first three figures of [the amount. In like mannerother amounts vmaybe protected, the rule being that the highest dollarvalue of the 'first three figures should be indicated in safety Y kzonesat'theends of the check and the check Vshould be void if the left-handzone is detached. 'The irstgure value should always be indicated in theleft-hand zone, the

cated Yin the upper part of the right-hand ZODB.

My improved check, draft or other in- Astrument, therefore, comprises abody'portion of usual form with the usual blanks for the date, then-amesof the drawer and payee and blanks for the amount to be written in wordsandV figures, and having at one end of its ,body portion -a verticalcolumn of figures 9`arranged in reverse order from top downward andbelow these i a vertical series' of designations of units, tens andmultiples thereof in decimal series arranged in reverse order frombottom upward and atthe opposite end' a similarly arranged column ofspaces having printed therein numbersin arithmetical progression from 0to 9 ln'reverse order'V and numbers from 0 to 9 in regular order.

At the and the rules for using the Vtop of the column of figures in thesafety be made in curved lines,

I do not lattempt to secondfigure ofthe amount should` be indi'-` zoneand the third figurey should be indi-V cated'inthelower part of theright-hand the body of the check and above `described ,will sufficientlyindicate how it should b e used for any amount, and it will be thus seenthat all necessary protection is provided for all amounts from 1 to1,000,000.

I would recommend that in cutting away portions of the safety zones thecutsshould as indicated, and it is obvious that such cuts may be madewith scissors of usual form and that no special instruments arerequired.

I would call attention to the fact that a check made in accordance withmy invention protects every dollar from one to one thousand; every tendollars from one thousand to ten thousand; every hundred dollars fromten thousand to a hundred thousand, and every thousand dollars from onehundred thousand to a million.

I claim as my invention 1. A check having at one end of its body portiona vertical column of figures from 1 to 9'arranged inreverse order fromthe t'op reading downward, and below these a Vertical series ofdesignations of units, tensand multiples thereof in decimal seriesarranged in reverse order reading from the bottom upward, and at theopposite end a similarly arranged column of spaces having printedtherein numbers in arithmetical progression from 0 to 9 in reverse orderreading downward and numbers from 0 to 9 in regular order readingdownward.

2. A check having blank upper and lower Vmargins and having'at one endof its body korder reading downward.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

HENRY IVitnesses:

LLOYD B.W1GHT, M. E. BURRELL.

c. THATCHER.

